Apologies from 2Day FM presenters make headlines in the UK

TONY EASTLEY: The tearful apologies from two young Australian radio presenters whose prank telephone call went wrong have made headlines in Britain overnight and raised questions about exactly who made the decision to air the prank call.

Michael Christian and Mel Greig told Australian commercial television programmes they were shaken and heartbroken by what had happened, and they apologised to the family of the dead nurse.

Their accounts raised questions about who was involved in the decision to put the prank interview to air, and whether that contravened laws governing the broadcast of recorded conversations.

Southern Cross Austereo has announced a company-wide suspension of prank calls and advertising on its 2Day FM station until further notice.

Europe correspondent Mary Gearin reports.

MARY GEARIN: Britain's media outlets led their news bulletins with the emotional response from Michael Christian and Mel Greig about their prank that was ultimately followed by the suicide of Jacintha Saldanha, the nurse who believed them and passed through their call.

MICHAEL CHRISTIAN: I'm gutted.

MEL GREIG: There's not a minute that goes by that we don't think about her family and what they must be going through, and the thought that we may have played a part in that is... gut-wrenching.

MARY GEARIN: Mel Greig made it clear the pair did not make the ultimate decision to air the call.

MEL GREIG: It's not up to us to make that decision, we just record it and then it goes to the other departments to work it out. I don't know what they then do with it. We just do what we do, which is make those calls.

MARY GEARIN: Last night on Channel Ten's The Project, Southern Cross Austereo's CEO Rhys Holleran was asked repeatedly why the network decided to air the prank without the nurse's consent.

RHYS HOLLERAN: And as an organisation we believe that we've done what was necessary.

CHARLIE PICKERING: But if the ACMA guidelines say that you need someone's consent before you broadcast a recording that you've made...

RHYS HOLLERAN: You know- you know...

CHARLIE PICKERING: ..and you didn't have that consent, how does that follow the guidelines?

RHYS HOLLERAN: Again-again- Well I'm, you know, I'm telling you that we did the appropriate legal review on the issue and...

CHARLIE PICKERING: So did either of the nurses that took phone calls know that they were being put to air?

RHYS HOLLERAN: We attempted to... We're on the record as saying this this morning, that we attempted to contact the hospital on five occasions.

MARY GEARIN: A spokeswoman for the hospital told the ABC that following the hoax call, the radio station did not speak to anyone in hospital senior management or anyone at the company that handles their media inquiries.

But she had no answer as to whether there were missed calls or messages from the network.

Meanwhile, Keith Vaz, the chairman of the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee, has raised concerns about the hospital's treatment of the family since the suicide.

KEITH VAZ: The hospital has sent them a letter, which I have seen, but I'm a little surprised that nobody has made the journey to Bristol to sit with them and to offer them the counselling that I think that they need.

MARY GEARIN: There's been no public response from family but one newspaper report suggested Ms Saldanha's husband was furious with the hospital.

Keith Vaz.

KEITH VAZ: I hope very much that the focus can now be on the family and the needs of the family, rather than the DJs in Australia.

MARY GEARIN: There was a newspaper report today saying that her husband was very upset with the behaviour of the hospital in the intervening period between the hoax, obviously, and the suicide. Do you know what the basis of that is, and if that's true?

KEITH VAZ: I think the family will need to speak for themselves on that. I can only give you my observations and the need for them to be given the support that they deserve.

With the greatest of respect to the Australian DJs, the fact is they seem to have had a lot of support. If they wish to go on television, whole programs are put at their disposal and they are obviously well trained in dealing with these issues.

That doesn't mean that I don't accept what they've said. It means they have a different form of access to power. This is a small, close-knit, loving family in the West Country. They actually need to be able to get the support that is so desperately needed for them.

MARY GEARIN: The hospital has set up a memorial fund in Jacintha Saldanha's name.

This is Mary Gearin in London for AM.

TONY EASTLEY: And AM understands that the Australian Communications and Media Authority, ACMA, is expected to announce soon whether it will begin its own investigation of station 2Day FM.

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